Empire of the Dark Ami
by amiwakawaiidesu
(Based on characters and situations from "Sailor Moon", created by Naoko Takeuchi and not owned by myself.
By the way, I'd like to take a moment to mention that I appreciate all the comments I've received about this story so far. Although I do have a plan for the story, I'm interested to hear what works or doesn't work so I can try to improve the story in the future. Thus, I invite anyone with an opinion to comment regardless of whether you happen to think the story is good or bad, or just plain awful.)
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CHAPTER FIVE
(November, AD 1994)
With Mugen Gakuen rumbling from the shock of battle outside, Dr. Souichi Tomoe was pensive in his laboratory.
"The time has come," Dr. Tomoe said to Kaorinite; "you must evacuate."
"No!" the red-haired woman said. "My place is here with you--!"
"No, it is not yet time for you to die. Kuroiami does not know you live; she thought you were killed earlier in battle. Therefore, I still have a special use for you."
"What is it, Doctor?"
Dr. Tomoe eyed Kaorinite dispassionately, as another rumble shook the building, then approached her silently. A moment later, main power failed and only emergency lighting lit the laboratory as Dr. Tomoe drew within centimeters of the woman--close enough to smell her, and indeed to taste her.
For Dr. Tomoe kissed Kaorinite, with a sudden forcefulness that made her eyes pop open wide with surprise. It was not an act of love, however, but an act of force; even as their lips and tongues met, Kaorinite felt a power flow from the doctor and into her body.
"What is this?" Kaorinite asked afterward, staggering backward.
"You will know when the time is right," Dr. Tomoe said, glancing upward as another blast rocked the building, and what was left of his equipment shattered in the distance. "Go now, and hide yourself from Kuroiami's power."
"But..."
"There is no time," Dr. Tomoe said. "When the time is right, you will be our instrument of vengeance. Now go!"
* * * * *
(August, AD 2000)
In the throne room of Mugen Palace, long shadows stretched across the floor as two blue-haired women, a brown-haired woman, and a blue-haired boy considered the chess problem before them.
"Knight to Queen's Bishop 6," Mizuno Ami said finally, making her move.
Her opponent sighed.
"The move draws by repetition," Kuroiami said, with obvious frustration.
Kuroiami's son Hoshi seemed quite amused, however.
"A stalemate," Hoshi said; "you're rather skilled, Mizuno-san."
"Arigatou, Mizuno-sama."
Kuroiami scowled. By a sheer coincidence, Ami and Hoshi looked very similar, and not just because of their blue hair, blue eyes and similar features. Earlier in the day, Kuroiami's servant youma had supplied Ami with a girl's sailor uniform--to replace the grungy clothes she'd been wearing for several days--and that sailor uniform looked very similar to the sailor suit that 6-year old Hoshi was wearing. In contrast, Hoshi's brown-haired teacher Reika wore a suit of dark gray, and Kuroiami herself wore a Senshi fuku of midnight black.
And Kuroiami's mood at the moment was every bit as dark as her fuku.
"Skilled or not," Kuroiami said, "Mizuno-san should know that a stalemate is not a victory. She will not beat me if she continues to play for a draw."
"And you'll never beat me by talking about it," Ami replied. "We've played three games so far, and you still haven't beaten me yet."
Hoshi very nearly chuckled, testing Kuroiami's patience.
"Don't you have something else to be doing, Hoshi-kun?"
"Perhaps we should leave your mother and Mizuno-san alone for now," Reika said, putting a hand on Hoshi's shoulder.
"Okay," Hoshi said, bowing to Kuroiami and Ami. "Dewa mata, Okasan, Mizuno-san."
Ami nodded, then spoke to Kuroiami after Hoshi and Reika left.
"Your son seems like a nice young man."
"It's a pity, really," Kuroiami said. "I was hoping he'd be more like me.
"But perhaps you will indulge me in another game?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Well, our wager is meaningless unless one of us wins eventually."
"I must admit," Ami conceded, "it is peculiar that I can play you to a draw consistently; that shouldn't be possible against a player of your level."
"Well, we are virtually identical in every meaningful way--even more so than identical twins. It's not surprising that you can anticipate my moves, just as I can predict yours."
"Well, I daresay we're not completely identical. I'm not bent on world conquest."
"I've already conquered the world, Mizuno-san."
"But just one world. Surely you're not satisfied with that."
Kuroiami smiled slightly.
"You see what I meant about us having one mind," Kuroiami said.
Ami's eyebrow twitched slightly, but she otherwise betrayed no reaction to having her own mind compared with Kuroiami's.
"Well, one of us will have to win eventually," Ami said, turning the chessboard around and setting up the white pieces for the next game.
"Indeed," Kuroiami agreed, "although, honestly, I think you're playing for much less than I am. Even if you win--by some chance--and I permit you to speak to Tsukino-san, you and Tsukino-san will never escape this palace.
"But conversely, if I win..."
"Yes, I know," Ami said, setting up her king and queen, "I'll bow before you. But you haven't won yet."
Again, Kuroiami smiled.
"Pawn to Queen 4," Ami said, making her first move.
"You seem to like that opening."
Ami shrugged.
"Very well. Pawn to Queen 4..."
* * * * *
As dusk fell on the ruins of the central Tokyo, a surly white cat walked alone past an old Buddhist cemetery. Though Artemis was loyal to Sailorvenus, he found that he could only take so much of her egomaniacal personality at one time; then, as now, there was nothing like a walk among the ruins to clear his head.
Ordinarily, Artemis didn't expect to meet many people there; most of Tokyo's living population had fled the ruins to live in the north, and only a desperate few still lived near the bay. Until recently, the Outer Senshi had been among those desperate few, but the latest intelligence reports indicated they were trying to flee to the north as well.
It's just a matter of time until they're cornered, Artemis thought, then the last of our enemies will be dead. Including that bitch Luna...
Artemis was shaken from his thoughts, however, when he heard something unusual in the cemetery; it sounded like a woman crying or screaming, but it wasn't quite like anything he'd ever heard before. Curious, he climbed a tree to get a better look at the cemetery and was startled by what he saw--a hugely pregnant woman squatting near the ground and giving birth, right in the middle of the cemetery.
That was strange enough in and of itself, but Artemis was even more shocked when he realized that he recognized the woman: Kaorinite!
But that's impossible! Artemis thought. She was killed years ago!
Much as Artemis tried to deny it, though, he couldn't deny that the woman was virtually identical to Dr. Tomoe's chief assistant. Driven by curiosity, therefore, Artemis leapt down from the tree and approached the woman for a closer look; to his great surprise, the woman had already completed the birthing process by the time he got out of the tree, but he kept his silence until the woman laid the newborn baby before a family shrine with a too-familiar name.
TOMOE
"You there!" Artemis said; "what are you doing here?"
"Stay back!" the woman replied, spinning around in surprise and throwing up her right hand.
Artemis saw her right hand glowing with power, but he also saw how exhausted she looked.
"I'll do no such thing," Artemis said. "This is the domain of Kuroiami-sama, and you will explain your presence here!"
The woman scowled and made as if to blast Artemis, but the cat's intuition was correct; she was spent, and fell to the ground in a heap.
"Baka," Artemis muttered, approaching the infant. In his head, he was already calculating when the child might have been conceived, and realized it must have been conceived well after the death of Dr. Tomoe. So who was the father then? And how had Kaorinite eluded Kuroiami's grasp for so long?
Artemis barely had time to run those thoughts through his mind, however, when a blinding light began to issue from the child--brighter than the brightest sunlight. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but it was far too bright to look at directly; only after a moment did the glow diminish enough to let him look in the child's direction again.
To his surprise, the child was now gone, and someone entirely different now stood before the family shrine.
"I summon the Silence Glaive," the black-haired Senshi said, bringing forth a polearm with a wicked curving blade.
"Who ARE you. ..?" Artemis asked, trying to control his fear.
"I am Sailorsaturn, the Warrior of Revolution and Rebirth. Tell your queen I have come to end her reign."
Despite himself, Artemis backed away warily.
"What proof do you have of this? Her Majesty will demand proof..."
The Senshi responded by pointing her weapon at the very tree Artemis had climbed down from, and released a wave of power that Artemis could feel even though it wasn't aimed directly at him. Instantly, the tree withered, cracked and exploded in a shower of atomized particles.
"Will that suffice? Or shall I lay your blackened corpse on her doorstep instead?"
Artemis took the hint and left expeditiously, while he was still his natural color.
* * * * *
In the Bunkyo-ku ward of Tokyo, meanwhile, the night echoed with the sound of machine gun fire.
After losing Ami to Kuroiami, the Outer Senshi (and Luna) made a decision to head north, away from Kuroiami's base of power in Minato-Ku. However, they knew--realistically--that running from Kuroiami was ultimately futile; if Kuroiami could impersonate Luna in order to pluck Ami from their midst, there was no escaping her power. And indeed, they met that power in the form of an armored brigade just north of Kitanomura Park.
"I thought you said this way was clear!" Sailoruranus said to Sailorneptune, ducking bullets behind a stone gate at the edge of the park.
"No, I said this felt like the safest path," Sailorneptune replied.
"It might be the safest path," Sailorpluto offered, "if we could just reach the Tokyo Dome across the way there. The troops are all pulled up close to our position, so all we really need to do is get past them..."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Sailoruranus asked.
"We could combine our powers for a single strike..."
"And knock out what--maybe one tank? The rest would mow us down before we got halfway across the street!"
Just then, though, the firing stopped on its own, and an ominous hush fell over the park.
"Girls," Luna said, looking back toward the middle of the park, "I think we've got trouble..."
As one, the Outer Senshi turned and saw three familiar forms swaggering out of the trees.
"Well, well, well," Sailorvenus said. "If it isn't the Outer Scum, all conveniently gathered to die in one place."
Figuring the odds were at least somewhat even in a fight against the Black Senshi, the Outer Senshi braced themselves--but then saw Sailormars and Sailorjupiter step forward carrying submachineguns in their hands. Walking up next to Sailorvenus, Sailormars and Sailorjupiter cocked the bolts of their guns and then brought the guns to bear on the cornered Senshi.
"You'd better shoot straight," Sailoruranus taunted the Black Senshi; "you know our fuku are bulletproof."
"Yours may be," Sailorvenus said, "but I don't see Luna wearing a bulletproof vest."
"Shimatta!" Sailoruranus muttered.
"Surrender," Sailorvenus said, "and we'll make sure to kill you quickly. Or would you rather see Luna's insides splattered all over that gate there?"
Sailoruranus scowled; the odds did not look good. And even if they did beat the Black Senshi, more troops were almost certainly advancing on the area. But this was the end Sailoruranus had anticipated, ever since Kuroiami had taken Ami away.
"I'd rather die in battle, bitch," Sailoruranus said.
"So much the better," Sailorvenus said, uncoiling the black chains of her sword from around her waist.
"Oh my...!" Luna said, taking the opportunity to duck out of sight behind a trash can. It was there, as she watched the Black Senshi marching closer, that she caught sight of something peculiar-yet another Senshi standing BEHIND the Black Senshi.
"This is not yet their time to die," the mysterious Senshi said, startling all three of the Black Senshi.
"What the hell?" Sailormars said; "who is she?"
" Never mind who she is," Sailorvenus said. "Kill her!"
Sailormars shrugged, lifting her gun and squeezing the trigger. The bullets deflected harmlessly from a force field in front of the target, however, as they did when Sailorjupiter joined in to squeeze off the 30 rounds in her magazine.
"Silence Glaive Surprise!" the new Senshi said, lifting her own weapon to strike back.
Instinctively, all three of the Black Senshi cringed, but the colossal energy blast they expected proved to be aimed not at them, but rather at the tanks beyond the Outer Senshi in the street. With startling suddenness, the fuel and ammunition magazines of all the tanks exploded simultaneously, splitting the night with an earth-rattling roar.
"The next one is for you," Sailorsaturn said, pointing the Silence Glaive at the Black Senshi. "Unless you flee."
The Black Senshi fled.
Even the Outer Senshi were more than a little terrified, though, for they knew exactly who Sailorsaturn was.
"So the end has come," Sailorpluto said. "The destroyer has arrived."
"I don't understand," Sailoruranus said to Sailorsaturn; "you were killed...! Kuroiami had you assassinated...!"
"Death cannot die," Sailorsaturn said, drawing closer to the Outer Senshi. "But fear not. It is not this world's life I seek to end, but Kuroiami's.
"Now will you join me? Or must I fight alone?"
Sailoruranus glanced at the other Outer Senshi, who nodded back at her.
"Evidently," Sailorneptune said, "the tide has turned in this battle."
* * * * *
"Damnation," Kuroiami muttered; "will you not play a fair game!"
Ami smiled, looking at Kuroiami across the chessboard.
"Playing to a draw is perfectly legal," Ami said. "Besides, you're hardly one to speak of 'fairness' after you kidnapped my friend and attempted to brainwash me."
Kuroiami considered blasting Ami with a lightning bolt, but restrained herself.
"But can't you see--?" Kuroiami said. "Life is struggle; without struggle--without fighting to win--life is meaningless!"
"So you want me to be more aggressive, is that it?"
"Yes!"
"Too bad. Inevitably, your patience will fail and you will defeat yourself."
Kuroiami leaned back in her chair, appraising Ami with a smile.
"Even the Buddha would admire your patience, Mizuno-san. Most people would be scared out of their wits to sit there, yet there you are, playing to a draw through game after game."
"I have no illusions, Kuroiami. I know you could kill me any time you want to. Since you haven't, it follows logically that you need me for some purpose."
"Oh, it's worth it just to enjoy your icy wit," Kuroiami said, rising to stand. "But we've played enough for today. Tomorrow, I will force you to lose, or beat me outright."
Ami stood up as well, letting Kuroiami's servant youma push in her chair for her and put away the chess set. Having spent the whole day with Kuroiami, Ami had quickly gained a sense for the way she liked things done...mostly letting other people do them for her.
"It is about time for dinner," Kuroiami said, leading Ami into the adjacent corridor. "I had the chef prepare grilled salmon almondine, with anmitsu for dessert. Hopefully, that will meet with your approval."
"That sounds like quite a feast. It's a good thing I didn't lose."
"Oh, don't be so dour--I'd still feed you if you lost. You could always bow down to me after dinner."
Not quite sure if Kuroiami was joking, Ami followed her to the main elevator, then down several levels to the main dining hall. This spacious chamber had once been the faculty dining room at Mugen Gakuen, but clever rearrangement of furniture, false panels and lighting made it look like a much smaller space now.
It wasn't the furniture that first caught Ami's attention, however, but Hoshi and Reika, already seated at the main table. Both rose and bowed to Kuroiami.
"Kuroiami-sama."
"Okasan."
"Please, be seated," Kuroiami said, sitting down at the table and pointing Ami to a seat as well.
"So," Reika said to Ami, "did anyone win eventually?"
"Not yet; but I'm sure someone will eventually."
A moment later, a female youma waitress appeared at the table.
"May I get anybody anything before we serve the main course? A beverage perhaps? For our special guest, we do have some very good Dai Ginjyo sake, just in from Niigata..."
"Just tea please," Ami said; "thank you."
"Likewise," Kuroiami said; "I'll want to keep my head sharp in case Mizuno-san is up for another game later."
The youma seemed disappointed that nobody wanted to sample the sake, but duly withdrew to the kitchen after Hoshi and Reika also asked for tea.
"I must say," Hoshi said to Ami, "I am impressed by your skill; you're quite a player. Better than me anyway."
"Hoshi is being modest," Kuroiami said, as the youma returned to the table and poured the tea. "He's an internationally ranked grand master."
Hoshi rolled his eyes while Kuroiami wasn't looking.
"Perhaps we can play sometime," Ami said to Hoshi, with a warm smile. "I always enjoyed playing with my best friend at home..."
Kuroiami gave a sharp glance at Ami.
"Although," Ami added, "I doubt I shall see her again soon."
"It's in you hands," Kuroiami said. "If you played more aggressively..."
But suddenly Kuroiami fell silent, looking out a nearby window.
"What's the matter?" Reika asked.
"Nothing of consequence," Kuroiami said, standing up from her seat. "Something unexpected has arisen, but I'll return shortly."
To Ami's utter surprise, Kuroiami then turned on her heel and left the room.
"Well, that's peculiar," Ami said to Reika and Hoshi. "Isn't she concerned, leaving you two alone with me? She said I'm not her 'prisoner', but she hardly left me alone all day."
"Perhaps she knows you're not the violent type," Reika said.
"I can be," Ami said, drawing a metallic blue stick from her skirt pocket; "I've killed plenty of monsters when I was Sailormercury."
"Perhaps," Hoshi said, "but the fact that Kuroiami let you keep your henshin stick is proof of her arrogance."
"Hoshi!" Reika said. "You shouldn't speak that way about your mother!"
"Is it not true?" Hoshi asked.
Ami frowned slightly.
"Even if you are Kuroiami's son," Ami said, "you shouldn't speak ill of your own mother."
"Perhaps if she were a better mother," Hoshi replied, "I'd be a better son."
"Honestly!" Ami said; "if you were my son..."
"What?"
"Well...I'd be very disappointed."
Hoshi laughed.
"You really are amazing, aren't you, Mizuno-san? Here you are a stranger in a strange world, with your best friend imprisoned, and yet you place a premium on courtesy!"
"Courtesy is very important," Ami replied, pausing to sip her tea. "Just because we're enemies doesn't mean we can't conduct ourselves in a courteous manner."
"Perhaps you're right. I just can't help but wonder sometimes, if Kuroiami really is my mother."
Reika gasped, but did not speak.
"I dare say," Ami said, "the resemblance is striking."
"Yes, I know that. But I have these dreams sometimes--dreams where I see another mother..."
"Another mother?"
"Well, it may be Kuroiami, but she seems different somehow. She seems--I don't know; more like you."
"But you hardly know me, Mizuno-sama."
"On the contrary, Mizuno-san; I studied you for many months in your own world, before we captured you and Tsukino-san. I came to know you quite well."
A chill ran down Ami's spine.
"I had no idea."
"It was sloppy of me to let you see me, toward the end. But it was too late for you to stop Kuroiami by then."
"Mizuno-sama..." Ami said, "may I ask you a personal question?"
"Who is my father?"
"You must be psychic."
"No, it's just what everybody wonders. I don't know who my father is."
Ami glanced over at Reika, but the teacher's expression suggested it was best not to pry. Thus, Ami remained silent as the dutiful youma brought forth their dinner, and continued to be silent until something shook the building and caused the lights to flicker.
"What was that?" Ami asked.
"I don't know," Hoshi said, standing up and moving to a window.
"Perhaps you should stay away from the windows," Ami said, moving to join Hoshi.
"Yes," Reika agreed, also joining Hoshi; "if it's an earthquake, they could pop loose and shatter..."
"I don't think it's an earthquake," Hoshi replied. "An earthquake wouldn't--"
Before he could finish that thought, though, another shock hit the building--but this time with much more force; the lights went out, the dishes flew from the table, and Hoshi would have fallen had Ami and Reika not both moved to catch him.
"Are you all right?" both women asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," Hoshi said, "but we're in terrible danger. We have to get out of here!"
"But what of your mother?" Reika asked.
"It's something stronger than Mother," Hoshi said, climbing back to his feet and taking both women by the hand. "Come; there may be little time..."
by amiwakawaiidesu
(Based on characters and situations from "Sailor Moon", created by Naoko Takeuchi and not owned by myself.
By the way, I'd like to take a moment to mention that I appreciate all the comments I've received about this story so far. Although I do have a plan for the story, I'm interested to hear what works or doesn't work so I can try to improve the story in the future. Thus, I invite anyone with an opinion to comment regardless of whether you happen to think the story is good or bad, or just plain awful.)
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CHAPTER FIVE
(November, AD 1994)
With Mugen Gakuen rumbling from the shock of battle outside, Dr. Souichi Tomoe was pensive in his laboratory.
"The time has come," Dr. Tomoe said to Kaorinite; "you must evacuate."
"No!" the red-haired woman said. "My place is here with you--!"
"No, it is not yet time for you to die. Kuroiami does not know you live; she thought you were killed earlier in battle. Therefore, I still have a special use for you."
"What is it, Doctor?"
Dr. Tomoe eyed Kaorinite dispassionately, as another rumble shook the building, then approached her silently. A moment later, main power failed and only emergency lighting lit the laboratory as Dr. Tomoe drew within centimeters of the woman--close enough to smell her, and indeed to taste her.
For Dr. Tomoe kissed Kaorinite, with a sudden forcefulness that made her eyes pop open wide with surprise. It was not an act of love, however, but an act of force; even as their lips and tongues met, Kaorinite felt a power flow from the doctor and into her body.
"What is this?" Kaorinite asked afterward, staggering backward.
"You will know when the time is right," Dr. Tomoe said, glancing upward as another blast rocked the building, and what was left of his equipment shattered in the distance. "Go now, and hide yourself from Kuroiami's power."
"But..."
"There is no time," Dr. Tomoe said. "When the time is right, you will be our instrument of vengeance. Now go!"
* * * * *
(August, AD 2000)
In the throne room of Mugen Palace, long shadows stretched across the floor as two blue-haired women, a brown-haired woman, and a blue-haired boy considered the chess problem before them.
"Knight to Queen's Bishop 6," Mizuno Ami said finally, making her move.
Her opponent sighed.
"The move draws by repetition," Kuroiami said, with obvious frustration.
Kuroiami's son Hoshi seemed quite amused, however.
"A stalemate," Hoshi said; "you're rather skilled, Mizuno-san."
"Arigatou, Mizuno-sama."
Kuroiami scowled. By a sheer coincidence, Ami and Hoshi looked very similar, and not just because of their blue hair, blue eyes and similar features. Earlier in the day, Kuroiami's servant youma had supplied Ami with a girl's sailor uniform--to replace the grungy clothes she'd been wearing for several days--and that sailor uniform looked very similar to the sailor suit that 6-year old Hoshi was wearing. In contrast, Hoshi's brown-haired teacher Reika wore a suit of dark gray, and Kuroiami herself wore a Senshi fuku of midnight black.
And Kuroiami's mood at the moment was every bit as dark as her fuku.
"Skilled or not," Kuroiami said, "Mizuno-san should know that a stalemate is not a victory. She will not beat me if she continues to play for a draw."
"And you'll never beat me by talking about it," Ami replied. "We've played three games so far, and you still haven't beaten me yet."
Hoshi very nearly chuckled, testing Kuroiami's patience.
"Don't you have something else to be doing, Hoshi-kun?"
"Perhaps we should leave your mother and Mizuno-san alone for now," Reika said, putting a hand on Hoshi's shoulder.
"Okay," Hoshi said, bowing to Kuroiami and Ami. "Dewa mata, Okasan, Mizuno-san."
Ami nodded, then spoke to Kuroiami after Hoshi and Reika left.
"Your son seems like a nice young man."
"It's a pity, really," Kuroiami said. "I was hoping he'd be more like me.
"But perhaps you will indulge me in another game?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Well, our wager is meaningless unless one of us wins eventually."
"I must admit," Ami conceded, "it is peculiar that I can play you to a draw consistently; that shouldn't be possible against a player of your level."
"Well, we are virtually identical in every meaningful way--even more so than identical twins. It's not surprising that you can anticipate my moves, just as I can predict yours."
"Well, I daresay we're not completely identical. I'm not bent on world conquest."
"I've already conquered the world, Mizuno-san."
"But just one world. Surely you're not satisfied with that."
Kuroiami smiled slightly.
"You see what I meant about us having one mind," Kuroiami said.
Ami's eyebrow twitched slightly, but she otherwise betrayed no reaction to having her own mind compared with Kuroiami's.
"Well, one of us will have to win eventually," Ami said, turning the chessboard around and setting up the white pieces for the next game.
"Indeed," Kuroiami agreed, "although, honestly, I think you're playing for much less than I am. Even if you win--by some chance--and I permit you to speak to Tsukino-san, you and Tsukino-san will never escape this palace.
"But conversely, if I win..."
"Yes, I know," Ami said, setting up her king and queen, "I'll bow before you. But you haven't won yet."
Again, Kuroiami smiled.
"Pawn to Queen 4," Ami said, making her first move.
"You seem to like that opening."
Ami shrugged.
"Very well. Pawn to Queen 4..."
* * * * *
As dusk fell on the ruins of the central Tokyo, a surly white cat walked alone past an old Buddhist cemetery. Though Artemis was loyal to Sailorvenus, he found that he could only take so much of her egomaniacal personality at one time; then, as now, there was nothing like a walk among the ruins to clear his head.
Ordinarily, Artemis didn't expect to meet many people there; most of Tokyo's living population had fled the ruins to live in the north, and only a desperate few still lived near the bay. Until recently, the Outer Senshi had been among those desperate few, but the latest intelligence reports indicated they were trying to flee to the north as well.
It's just a matter of time until they're cornered, Artemis thought, then the last of our enemies will be dead. Including that bitch Luna...
Artemis was shaken from his thoughts, however, when he heard something unusual in the cemetery; it sounded like a woman crying or screaming, but it wasn't quite like anything he'd ever heard before. Curious, he climbed a tree to get a better look at the cemetery and was startled by what he saw--a hugely pregnant woman squatting near the ground and giving birth, right in the middle of the cemetery.
That was strange enough in and of itself, but Artemis was even more shocked when he realized that he recognized the woman: Kaorinite!
But that's impossible! Artemis thought. She was killed years ago!
Much as Artemis tried to deny it, though, he couldn't deny that the woman was virtually identical to Dr. Tomoe's chief assistant. Driven by curiosity, therefore, Artemis leapt down from the tree and approached the woman for a closer look; to his great surprise, the woman had already completed the birthing process by the time he got out of the tree, but he kept his silence until the woman laid the newborn baby before a family shrine with a too-familiar name.
TOMOE
"You there!" Artemis said; "what are you doing here?"
"Stay back!" the woman replied, spinning around in surprise and throwing up her right hand.
Artemis saw her right hand glowing with power, but he also saw how exhausted she looked.
"I'll do no such thing," Artemis said. "This is the domain of Kuroiami-sama, and you will explain your presence here!"
The woman scowled and made as if to blast Artemis, but the cat's intuition was correct; she was spent, and fell to the ground in a heap.
"Baka," Artemis muttered, approaching the infant. In his head, he was already calculating when the child might have been conceived, and realized it must have been conceived well after the death of Dr. Tomoe. So who was the father then? And how had Kaorinite eluded Kuroiami's grasp for so long?
Artemis barely had time to run those thoughts through his mind, however, when a blinding light began to issue from the child--brighter than the brightest sunlight. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but it was far too bright to look at directly; only after a moment did the glow diminish enough to let him look in the child's direction again.
To his surprise, the child was now gone, and someone entirely different now stood before the family shrine.
"I summon the Silence Glaive," the black-haired Senshi said, bringing forth a polearm with a wicked curving blade.
"Who ARE you. ..?" Artemis asked, trying to control his fear.
"I am Sailorsaturn, the Warrior of Revolution and Rebirth. Tell your queen I have come to end her reign."
Despite himself, Artemis backed away warily.
"What proof do you have of this? Her Majesty will demand proof..."
The Senshi responded by pointing her weapon at the very tree Artemis had climbed down from, and released a wave of power that Artemis could feel even though it wasn't aimed directly at him. Instantly, the tree withered, cracked and exploded in a shower of atomized particles.
"Will that suffice? Or shall I lay your blackened corpse on her doorstep instead?"
Artemis took the hint and left expeditiously, while he was still his natural color.
* * * * *
In the Bunkyo-ku ward of Tokyo, meanwhile, the night echoed with the sound of machine gun fire.
After losing Ami to Kuroiami, the Outer Senshi (and Luna) made a decision to head north, away from Kuroiami's base of power in Minato-Ku. However, they knew--realistically--that running from Kuroiami was ultimately futile; if Kuroiami could impersonate Luna in order to pluck Ami from their midst, there was no escaping her power. And indeed, they met that power in the form of an armored brigade just north of Kitanomura Park.
"I thought you said this way was clear!" Sailoruranus said to Sailorneptune, ducking bullets behind a stone gate at the edge of the park.
"No, I said this felt like the safest path," Sailorneptune replied.
"It might be the safest path," Sailorpluto offered, "if we could just reach the Tokyo Dome across the way there. The troops are all pulled up close to our position, so all we really need to do is get past them..."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Sailoruranus asked.
"We could combine our powers for a single strike..."
"And knock out what--maybe one tank? The rest would mow us down before we got halfway across the street!"
Just then, though, the firing stopped on its own, and an ominous hush fell over the park.
"Girls," Luna said, looking back toward the middle of the park, "I think we've got trouble..."
As one, the Outer Senshi turned and saw three familiar forms swaggering out of the trees.
"Well, well, well," Sailorvenus said. "If it isn't the Outer Scum, all conveniently gathered to die in one place."
Figuring the odds were at least somewhat even in a fight against the Black Senshi, the Outer Senshi braced themselves--but then saw Sailormars and Sailorjupiter step forward carrying submachineguns in their hands. Walking up next to Sailorvenus, Sailormars and Sailorjupiter cocked the bolts of their guns and then brought the guns to bear on the cornered Senshi.
"You'd better shoot straight," Sailoruranus taunted the Black Senshi; "you know our fuku are bulletproof."
"Yours may be," Sailorvenus said, "but I don't see Luna wearing a bulletproof vest."
"Shimatta!" Sailoruranus muttered.
"Surrender," Sailorvenus said, "and we'll make sure to kill you quickly. Or would you rather see Luna's insides splattered all over that gate there?"
Sailoruranus scowled; the odds did not look good. And even if they did beat the Black Senshi, more troops were almost certainly advancing on the area. But this was the end Sailoruranus had anticipated, ever since Kuroiami had taken Ami away.
"I'd rather die in battle, bitch," Sailoruranus said.
"So much the better," Sailorvenus said, uncoiling the black chains of her sword from around her waist.
"Oh my...!" Luna said, taking the opportunity to duck out of sight behind a trash can. It was there, as she watched the Black Senshi marching closer, that she caught sight of something peculiar-yet another Senshi standing BEHIND the Black Senshi.
"This is not yet their time to die," the mysterious Senshi said, startling all three of the Black Senshi.
"What the hell?" Sailormars said; "who is she?"
" Never mind who she is," Sailorvenus said. "Kill her!"
Sailormars shrugged, lifting her gun and squeezing the trigger. The bullets deflected harmlessly from a force field in front of the target, however, as they did when Sailorjupiter joined in to squeeze off the 30 rounds in her magazine.
"Silence Glaive Surprise!" the new Senshi said, lifting her own weapon to strike back.
Instinctively, all three of the Black Senshi cringed, but the colossal energy blast they expected proved to be aimed not at them, but rather at the tanks beyond the Outer Senshi in the street. With startling suddenness, the fuel and ammunition magazines of all the tanks exploded simultaneously, splitting the night with an earth-rattling roar.
"The next one is for you," Sailorsaturn said, pointing the Silence Glaive at the Black Senshi. "Unless you flee."
The Black Senshi fled.
Even the Outer Senshi were more than a little terrified, though, for they knew exactly who Sailorsaturn was.
"So the end has come," Sailorpluto said. "The destroyer has arrived."
"I don't understand," Sailoruranus said to Sailorsaturn; "you were killed...! Kuroiami had you assassinated...!"
"Death cannot die," Sailorsaturn said, drawing closer to the Outer Senshi. "But fear not. It is not this world's life I seek to end, but Kuroiami's.
"Now will you join me? Or must I fight alone?"
Sailoruranus glanced at the other Outer Senshi, who nodded back at her.
"Evidently," Sailorneptune said, "the tide has turned in this battle."
* * * * *
"Damnation," Kuroiami muttered; "will you not play a fair game!"
Ami smiled, looking at Kuroiami across the chessboard.
"Playing to a draw is perfectly legal," Ami said. "Besides, you're hardly one to speak of 'fairness' after you kidnapped my friend and attempted to brainwash me."
Kuroiami considered blasting Ami with a lightning bolt, but restrained herself.
"But can't you see--?" Kuroiami said. "Life is struggle; without struggle--without fighting to win--life is meaningless!"
"So you want me to be more aggressive, is that it?"
"Yes!"
"Too bad. Inevitably, your patience will fail and you will defeat yourself."
Kuroiami leaned back in her chair, appraising Ami with a smile.
"Even the Buddha would admire your patience, Mizuno-san. Most people would be scared out of their wits to sit there, yet there you are, playing to a draw through game after game."
"I have no illusions, Kuroiami. I know you could kill me any time you want to. Since you haven't, it follows logically that you need me for some purpose."
"Oh, it's worth it just to enjoy your icy wit," Kuroiami said, rising to stand. "But we've played enough for today. Tomorrow, I will force you to lose, or beat me outright."
Ami stood up as well, letting Kuroiami's servant youma push in her chair for her and put away the chess set. Having spent the whole day with Kuroiami, Ami had quickly gained a sense for the way she liked things done...mostly letting other people do them for her.
"It is about time for dinner," Kuroiami said, leading Ami into the adjacent corridor. "I had the chef prepare grilled salmon almondine, with anmitsu for dessert. Hopefully, that will meet with your approval."
"That sounds like quite a feast. It's a good thing I didn't lose."
"Oh, don't be so dour--I'd still feed you if you lost. You could always bow down to me after dinner."
Not quite sure if Kuroiami was joking, Ami followed her to the main elevator, then down several levels to the main dining hall. This spacious chamber had once been the faculty dining room at Mugen Gakuen, but clever rearrangement of furniture, false panels and lighting made it look like a much smaller space now.
It wasn't the furniture that first caught Ami's attention, however, but Hoshi and Reika, already seated at the main table. Both rose and bowed to Kuroiami.
"Kuroiami-sama."
"Okasan."
"Please, be seated," Kuroiami said, sitting down at the table and pointing Ami to a seat as well.
"So," Reika said to Ami, "did anyone win eventually?"
"Not yet; but I'm sure someone will eventually."
A moment later, a female youma waitress appeared at the table.
"May I get anybody anything before we serve the main course? A beverage perhaps? For our special guest, we do have some very good Dai Ginjyo sake, just in from Niigata..."
"Just tea please," Ami said; "thank you."
"Likewise," Kuroiami said; "I'll want to keep my head sharp in case Mizuno-san is up for another game later."
The youma seemed disappointed that nobody wanted to sample the sake, but duly withdrew to the kitchen after Hoshi and Reika also asked for tea.
"I must say," Hoshi said to Ami, "I am impressed by your skill; you're quite a player. Better than me anyway."
"Hoshi is being modest," Kuroiami said, as the youma returned to the table and poured the tea. "He's an internationally ranked grand master."
Hoshi rolled his eyes while Kuroiami wasn't looking.
"Perhaps we can play sometime," Ami said to Hoshi, with a warm smile. "I always enjoyed playing with my best friend at home..."
Kuroiami gave a sharp glance at Ami.
"Although," Ami added, "I doubt I shall see her again soon."
"It's in you hands," Kuroiami said. "If you played more aggressively..."
But suddenly Kuroiami fell silent, looking out a nearby window.
"What's the matter?" Reika asked.
"Nothing of consequence," Kuroiami said, standing up from her seat. "Something unexpected has arisen, but I'll return shortly."
To Ami's utter surprise, Kuroiami then turned on her heel and left the room.
"Well, that's peculiar," Ami said to Reika and Hoshi. "Isn't she concerned, leaving you two alone with me? She said I'm not her 'prisoner', but she hardly left me alone all day."
"Perhaps she knows you're not the violent type," Reika said.
"I can be," Ami said, drawing a metallic blue stick from her skirt pocket; "I've killed plenty of monsters when I was Sailormercury."
"Perhaps," Hoshi said, "but the fact that Kuroiami let you keep your henshin stick is proof of her arrogance."
"Hoshi!" Reika said. "You shouldn't speak that way about your mother!"
"Is it not true?" Hoshi asked.
Ami frowned slightly.
"Even if you are Kuroiami's son," Ami said, "you shouldn't speak ill of your own mother."
"Perhaps if she were a better mother," Hoshi replied, "I'd be a better son."
"Honestly!" Ami said; "if you were my son..."
"What?"
"Well...I'd be very disappointed."
Hoshi laughed.
"You really are amazing, aren't you, Mizuno-san? Here you are a stranger in a strange world, with your best friend imprisoned, and yet you place a premium on courtesy!"
"Courtesy is very important," Ami replied, pausing to sip her tea. "Just because we're enemies doesn't mean we can't conduct ourselves in a courteous manner."
"Perhaps you're right. I just can't help but wonder sometimes, if Kuroiami really is my mother."
Reika gasped, but did not speak.
"I dare say," Ami said, "the resemblance is striking."
"Yes, I know that. But I have these dreams sometimes--dreams where I see another mother..."
"Another mother?"
"Well, it may be Kuroiami, but she seems different somehow. She seems--I don't know; more like you."
"But you hardly know me, Mizuno-sama."
"On the contrary, Mizuno-san; I studied you for many months in your own world, before we captured you and Tsukino-san. I came to know you quite well."
A chill ran down Ami's spine.
"I had no idea."
"It was sloppy of me to let you see me, toward the end. But it was too late for you to stop Kuroiami by then."
"Mizuno-sama..." Ami said, "may I ask you a personal question?"
"Who is my father?"
"You must be psychic."
"No, it's just what everybody wonders. I don't know who my father is."
Ami glanced over at Reika, but the teacher's expression suggested it was best not to pry. Thus, Ami remained silent as the dutiful youma brought forth their dinner, and continued to be silent until something shook the building and caused the lights to flicker.
"What was that?" Ami asked.
"I don't know," Hoshi said, standing up and moving to a window.
"Perhaps you should stay away from the windows," Ami said, moving to join Hoshi.
"Yes," Reika agreed, also joining Hoshi; "if it's an earthquake, they could pop loose and shatter..."
"I don't think it's an earthquake," Hoshi replied. "An earthquake wouldn't--"
Before he could finish that thought, though, another shock hit the building--but this time with much more force; the lights went out, the dishes flew from the table, and Hoshi would have fallen had Ami and Reika not both moved to catch him.
"Are you all right?" both women asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," Hoshi said, "but we're in terrible danger. We have to get out of here!"
"But what of your mother?" Reika asked.
"It's something stronger than Mother," Hoshi said, climbing back to his feet and taking both women by the hand. "Come; there may be little time..."
